Former CMS visit south Kashmir to test political temperature
Omar Abdullah engages with NC workers; Mehbooba devises strategy for the elections at a party meet
SRINAGAR :Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, three former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers paid visit to militant infested areas of South Kashmir in the last four days to test the political temperature in the state.
On Tuesday, National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah addressed the party workers in a meeting at Chawalgam in Kulgam district. The meeting was attended by workers from different parts of south Kashmir wherein the former CM sought support for party candidates.
“The aim of the meeting was to infuse new strength among the workers in South Kashmir,” NC spokesperson said.
While Omar Abdullah engaged with his party workers, around 15km away at Khanabal, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti was devising strategies for the assembly elections at a party meet, which was joined by prominent workers from Anantnag.
“Many issues related to the upcoming elections were discussed in the meeting,” a senior PDP leader said.
Mehbooba is likely to contest from Anantnag constituency which was won by her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the last assembly election in 2014.
However, after his death in 2016, the former CM vacated her parliament seat and contested elections from the constituency same year, bagging victory by a good margin. Post dissolution of state assembly by governor Satya Pal Malik in November last year, this was the fourth visit of the PDP president to South Kashmir.
Mehbooba also apologised for her “toffee” remark made while heading the coalition government. In a presser with home minister Rajnath Singh, Mehbooba was asked about civilian killings and she had responded by saying, “Had these (slain) kids gone to buy milk or toffees from the Army camp,”
After series of resignations by former legislators and ministers, the party is trying to revive its base in South Kashmir by encouraging workers. During the last polls, PDP had won 11 seats from South Kashmir claiming a strong base in Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag and Kulgam districts.
On Saturday, National Conference president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah paid visit to Anantnag and had a meeting with party delegates of South Kashmir.exhorting to work hard, the former CM said the party is aiming to form government without support.
“The visits are an indication that both NC and the PDP have realised that the road to power goes through south Kashmir. NC wants to reduce the influence of PDP in the area and are focusing on seats that PDP won during the previous election. They are also looking for a winning candidates in south Kashmir,” said local newspaper writer Hamid Gania.